Shrubs
Shrubs are an instrumental part of every garden ecosystem.
They can be used as foundation plantings, privacy hedges, backdrops or merely specimen plants. They provide shade, improve soil stability, enhance air quality and create habitats for wildlife.
A shrub is a “woody plant which is smaller than a tree and has several main stems arising from the ground”. They fill the gaps, keep weeds down and enable a sense of enclosure within the wider landscape. They are the essential middle tier between ground covers and trees.
How to plant
Select the Right Planting Site
Consider the shrub's specific needs, including its soil and light requirements (full sun or shade, well-drained soil) and its anticipated growth habits in terms of height, width at maturity, and potential interference with nearby plants, walls, or buildings.
Prepare the Planting Hole
Dig a hole that is 50cm wider than the root ball to allow ample room for the roots to expand. The planting depth should be equal to the height of the root ball.
Add Nutrient-Rich Materials
Place compost in the bottom of the hole and fill it with shrub/rose mix to provide essential nutrients for the plant's growth.
Planting Process
Loosen the roots of the shrub and carefully position the root ball in the hole. Top up with the loosened native soil that was removed during digging.
Watering
Water the shrub immediately after planting to minimize root shock during transplanting and provide adequate moisture, especially during dry periods.
Mulching
Apply 5-10cm of mulch around the base of the shrub to retain moisture and control weed growth. Avoid placing the mulch directly against the trunk to prevent potential rot problems from water accumulation.
Top care tips
Shrubs are generally low maintenance plants requiring little care but they may need some care such as shaping, soil enhancement, and protection from weather, pests and diseases. In good soil most shrubs do not require the addition of much fertiliser, but for flowering and fruiting shrubs add an appropriate shrub fertiliser once every six to eight weeks during the growing season.
Consider protecting smaller shrubs in frosty weather with frost cloth.
Pruning shrubs at the correct spacing to allow air and light in encourages production fresh new growth.
Hard pruning is best done during winter dormancy; just before new growth begins in spring.
Some shrubs are susceptible to pests and diseases. Prevention is better than cure. Spraying to prevent pests and diseases is usually needed, however, for some susceptible shrubs pro-active protection is advisable to ensure healthy growth. Just a few well-timed applications of fungicide and/or insecticide will prevent most problems.
Types of Shrubs
There are two main types of shrubs – either deciduous ones like Hydrangeas, Viburnum, Barberry, which lose their leaves in winter or evergreen shrubs like Buxus, Rhododendron and Choisyas. Your selection will depend on its main purpose.
Flowering: Azaleas, Escallonia, Camellia
Decorative: Coprosma, Nandina
Shape: Acacia Limelight, Loropetalum, Pittosporum Golfball
Scented: Daphine, Viburnum Tinus
Shade loving: Hydrangea, Rhododendron, Pieris
Sun-loving: Weigela, Chaenomeles
Berries/fruit: Ilex (Holly), Nandina
These shrubs all enjoy moist, well drained lime-free soil (acid soil) with plenty of compost in semi-shade.